Computing systems, such as smart phones, tablets, video game consoles, and desktop computers, are being equipped with different types of passive user interaction detection sensors that enable users to interact with these systems in more natural and intuitive ways. For example, a gesture recognition sensor may enable a user to turn a page by swiping their hands in the air instead of clicking on a scroll bar or button.
Many computing systems have included three or more different types of sensors for detecting different types of user interactions. For example, a computing system may include a proximity sensor to identify a user or object presence, a touch sensitive sensor to identify contact with a screen or other touch sensitive surface, a microphone to identify speech or sound, and a two and/or three dimension sensor to identify movements or gestures in more than one dimension.
As the number of active sensors increases, the aggregate power consumed by these sensors also increases. This may lead to unnecessarily shorter battery life and/or increased consumption of power, especially in those situations where the sensors are activated but then not used. Accordingly, there is a need for a power management arrangement capable of deactivating sensors when they are not being used and then reactivating on demand with minimal user impact.